Thursday, August 11, 2011

...Christian Louboutin

It seems like there is a shoe battle between Christian Louboutin and YSL(Yves Saint Laurent). The battle is over Louboutin's signature red bottom soles which Louboution claims is theirs and theirs alone, thoug I have seen a plenty of knockoffs on some bargain brand shoes... A Manhattan Federal judge nixed a permanent injunction against footwear rival Yves Saint Laurent that would have prevented the French couturier from selling scarlet-soled shoes as part of its 2011 cruise collection. The judge made it clear that even though Louboutin had trademarked the red sole in 2008, he'd have trouble proving that the vivid soles were legally his and his alone to use. YSL says it has featured red soles all the way back to the 1970s. They even said the idea of red soles is "copied from King Louis XIV's red-heeled dancing shoes or Dorothy's famous ruby slippers in 'The Wizard of Oz." Back in April, Louboutin sued Yves Saint Laurent, charging the fashion house ripped off his famous red-sole trademark. Louboutin declared that he pioneered the eye-catching sole in 1992 when he first put red nail polish on the bottom of one pair, per the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.The judge wrote, "Because in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough public recognition in the market to have acquired secondary meaning." Louboutin sells about 240,000 pairs each year in the United States alone, with revenues of about $135 million a year. I find this somewhat funny. Whenever someone thinks of red soles you automatically think of Louboutins, unless you do not know fashion. If you look at the 2 shoes together one is bright red and the other is scarlet red. Though I understand the fight, I do not think Louboutin has anything to worry about at all. I am giving them a Digit Don for losing and for fighting a pointless fight.

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